C's focused on new "big three" in draft lottery

They were ticketed for a spot in the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery last June, when two future Hall of Famers were traded away.

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By Jim Fenton

seacoastonline.com

By Jim Fenton

Posted May. 20, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Jim Fenton
Posted May. 20, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

They were ticketed for a spot in the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery last June, when two future Hall of Famers were traded away.

As soon as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were sent to the Brooklyn Nets, the Boston Celtics found themselves on a collision course for the lottery.

Cutting ties with the aging Pierce and Garnett instantly moved the Celtics into a rebuilding mode, and the run of six straight trips to the playoffs was over.

Times were tough during a long 2013-14 season when the Celtics went 25-57 for the third fewest amount of wins in team history during an 82-game schedule.

Rebuilding in the NBA is a painful process, and the Celtics certainly experienced that during the first step on the road to turning things around.

The Celtics are in need of plenty of help, and tonight (8 p.m., ESPN) they will learn the position they will be situated when the draft takes place on June 26.

Slotted fifth in the 14-team draft lottery, the Celtics have a 33.4 percent chance of moving into the top three, where Jabari Parker of Duke, and Kansas products Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid will be likely taken.

There is a 10.3 percent chance they will land the top pick, an 11.1 percent chance they will move into the second spot and a 12 percent chance to getting to No. 3. The Celtics could fall as far as eighth, but that is the longshot on the board for them.

Given the holes on the Celtics' roster, there is not one player available in the draft class that is going to step in next fall and drastically turn things around.

Getting someone like Parker, Wiggins or Embiid, though, would be the first step in the right direction for a franchise that has nine first-round picks between 2014-18, including three from the Nets and one from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Doc Rivers' transaction.

The Celtics are going to need luck on their side in order to move past two teams to crack that top three. The Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz are in front of the Celtics in the lottery.

Owner Steve Pagliuca will represent the team on the stage when the draft order is announced and team president Rich Gotham will be in the room when the ping-pong balls are dropped.

Moving into a favorable spot tonight would give the Celtics something enticing to work with if they want to get into the bidding for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, who may soon be traded.

Parker played one season at Duke and averaged 19.1 points and 8.7 rebounds in 35 games, though the Blue Devils were stunned in the first game of the NCAA tournament by Mercer.

Wiggins averaged 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in his only season at Kansas, which lasted two games in the NCAA tourney.

Embiid, a native of Cameroon, is a 7-footer who would answer the Celtics' glaring need for interior defense. He missed the NCAA tourney with a back ailment.

If the Celtics, who also have the Nets' pick at No. 17, don't move into the top three, the second tier of players includes pieces that would be helpful down the road.

Julius Randle of Kentucky helped his cause during the Wildcats' run to the NCAA title game against Connecticut. The Celtics have a crowded power forward depth chart with Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk drafted the past two years, but Randle's talent would be hard to pass at No. 5.

Aaron Gordon of Arizona and Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State are intriguing players along with guard Dante Exum of Australia.

There were not many interesting moments during the 2013-14 season as they struggled from late October all the way to mid-April.

Tonight, things are going to be very interesting as they learn how that lack of success on the court translates on draft night next month.